Oct 28, 2019

This week, OSIRIS-REx completed its high reconnaissance pass over site Kingfisher. On October 17, the spacecraft performed navigation maneuver M7R to initiate its third flyover of the site. After completing the flyover’s science activities, the spacecraft executed navigation maneuver M8R on October 20, navigating the spacecraft away from Bennu. On October 22, the spacecraft performed maneuver M9R, placing it on trajectory for its flyby of site Nightingale on October 26. This flyover concludes the Reconnaissance A mission phase, after which the spacecraft will enter Orbital R phase and remain in a frozen orbit around Bennu until initiating the Reconnaissance B flyovers of the prime and backup sites in January. This orbit is called Orbital “R” because it is the orbit the spacecraft will assume during the mission’s Reconnaissance phase, when it is not performing passes over regions of interest.